St. Mary’s Community Hospital is now ‘CHI Health St. Mary’s’

Dan Kelly, President of St. Mary’s Community Hospital announced to assembled staff on Thursday, Aug. 21, that St. Mary’s Community Hospital’s name had just officially been changed to “CHI Health St. Mary’s.”

Kelly said this name signified that the hospital was part of something larger, and would herald a change in the way the hospital looked at health care from this day forward.

“This new name is a better fit for who we are and what we’ve become,” he said. “A few years ago CHI recognized that a change was needed. Everyone knows healthcare is too expensive. New healthcare laws made it obvious we were going to need to do more and earn less. We realized that we needed to focus on our patient’s health, educating them, and making health care more preventative.”

“Less than 20 percent of this hospital is made for in-patient care,” Kelly continued, “90 percent of what we do is dedicated to keeping people out of those beds. That’s not going to change at our new facility. We are going to work on coordinating with other health entities in our community, though, using a more collaborative model to help create a healthy community.”

President and CEO of CHI Health Nebraska, Dr. Cliff Robertson, gave a recorded speech in which he said that the hospital’s new mission was the future. He said that St. Mary’s as a part of CHI was “larger and stronger,” and would be not only “better able to survive,” but also “in the best position to impact the health of the community.”

While the staff enjoyed the cake and snacks that had been provided to celebrate, Kelly spoke with this reporter briefly about the future. “The first big change will be moving into the new facility,” he said, “which should happen around the end of October. Once we’re in there, though, we’ve got all kinds of plans. The facility is going into gardening, and will have its own greenhouse. We’re also considering a nurse navigator to help people with serious illnesses throughout their medical care. We’re really going to reach out to the community and get involved, helping people change their lives and get healthier.”

According to their press release:

“CHI Health, sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives, will bring the resources of the national organization to the region; connecting our patients to the best care, at the right place and at the right time.

“Decisions will continue to be made locally, based on individual and community needs,” said Dr. Robertson. “We are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality care and the best practices from across the nation in order to achieve the best outcomes possible. CHI Health is in a great position to improve the health of our communities, while changing how health care is delivered so that we can make it affordable and accessible to everyone in our region.”

Page 2 of 2 - With hospitals and clinics covering Nebraska, southwest Iowa and north Kansas, CHI Health combines the strengths of those facilities and the expertise of health care professionals who are working to build healthier communities, into one integrated health system.

“Our new name is a signal that we are moving forward and positioned incredibly well, not only to be able to improve the health of the communities we serve, but to change how health care is delivered,” said Cliff Robertson, M.D., chief executive officer for CHI Health. “Patients can expect the expert care that they’ve always received with the same compassion right in their own community.”

CHI Health’s new symbol is the image of a guiding star and cross – four shapes that come together to create a visual representation of the organization’s passion around its common mission to create healthier communities. The varying shapes, which signify the diversity of the national health care system, also exemplify the seamless integration of CHI Health with Catholic Health Initiatives – together with all of its partner organizations across the nation.

In addition to the new name and logo, the new brand for CHI Health includes the theme line: “Imagine better health.”